Apple Now Selling Unlocked iPhone 4 in U.S.

unlocked
As predicted, Apple has started selling unlocked (GSM) iPhone 4 devices in the U.S. early this morning.

If you don't want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone 4 is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you'll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide.

Pricing starts at $649 for a 16GB model and $749 for 32GB model. Both White and Black models are offered.

The main advantage of buying an unlocked iPhone is for international travel, as the device is not dependent on any particular carrier. The U.S. only has one network (AT&T) which fully supports all the features of an unlocked GSM iPhone. T-Mobile is compatible with voice calls, but the 3G network is not compatible. The higher price of the iPhones reflect no-contract pricing as well as the unlocked status of the device. While the iPhone 4 had been sold unlocked in other countries, this is the first time Apple has offered them in the U.S.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Mr. Gates Avatar
168 months ago
Phone contracts are like abusive relationships.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EricNau Avatar
168 months ago
I wonder when (if) AT&T will offer to unlock iPhones of customers who have fulfilled their 2-year contract.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mw360 Avatar
168 months ago
Who gives a **** how much it sells for (comparatively) in other countries?

Uh... People in other countries? There are a lot of them you know.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hellomoto4 Avatar
168 months ago
So the USA is finally catching up to Australia on something! We've had unlocked phones for sale since the 3G ;)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boss.king Avatar
168 months ago
Geez, do unlocked phones usually cost this much?

What did you expect it to cost?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
endhalf Avatar
168 months ago
Unlocked iPhone4 cost here:

16GB CHF 769.-
32GB CHF 899.-

in USD: 916.-/1'070.-

so for us swiss, this is VERY cheap...
In Czech Rep.:

16GB 16 499CZK
32GB 19 999CZK

in USD: 916/1052

Yep, very cheap... :/ USA has always everything cheap :/ And they think it is expensive... :D Try to living in Europe for a while, on average we have smaller salary AND more expensive stuff... Great combination.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature 1

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
macbook pro purple february

Best Buy Introduces Record Low Prices on Apple's M3 MacBook Pro for Members

Thursday April 25, 2024 7:41 am PDT by
Best Buy is discounting a collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, this time focusing on the 14-inch version of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a...